The salt dissolver unit of the present invention is broadly applicable for producing concentrated solutions of various liquid soluble compounds such as aqueous solutions of water soluble salt compounds including sodium chloride, potassium chloride, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, calcium chloride, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and the like. The dissolver unit is particularly applicable for the generation and supply of saturated brine solutions utilizing purified granulated salt crystals which can be used in the food and meat packing industries, for example.
Prior art bulk salt dissolver units of the type capable of handling a charge of a granular salt compound of ten tons up to about 60 tons or more have conventionally employed collector manifolds positioned adjacent to the base of the dissolver tank and buried beneath a plurality of layers of gravel, each of a controlled different size to effect a controlled filtration of the salt solution before entry into the collector manifold. In order to provide effective filtration, a considerable volume of gravel must be employed which correspondingly reduces the storage capacity of the tank. The fact that the gravel bed ordinarily must be discarded each time the tank is cleaned also constitutes a costly and time consuming operation, and for these and other reasons, alternative filter and collector systems have been proposed for use in lieu of conventional gravel bed type systems.
Alternative filter and collector systems heretofore proposed have not been entirely satisfactory in that they have failed to provide the desired high-capacity flow of concentrated salt solutions, have required the use of relatively complex and cumbersome structural arrangements in an attempt to counteract the tremendous weight of the bulk salt charge in the dissolver unit and have presented problems in connection with the inspection and replacement of the filter media as may be required from time to time.
The improved salt dissolver of the present invention overcomes many of the problems and disadvantages associated with prior art constructions in providing a dissolver unit which is of simple design and construction, which provides for a constant high-capacity supply of a clear concentrated salt solution, and which provides a filtration and collector manifold assembly by which the filter elements can readily be inspected and replaced, if necessary, requiring minimal time and effort.